The Flute Coach’s Rapid Review

“Learn to Play the Flute: Beginner Basics to Intermediate” by the MusicProfessor

Udemy is an online learning hub that offers an exciting range of vastly different courses – everything from music to IT to first aid training! It’s easy to get distracted searching through all of the study possibilities! When searching for (western concert) ‘flute’ through their course list, nine course options are provided. But where should you start??!!! The Online Music Courses by the MusicProfessor provide a logical pathway for you to progress through as you master new skills and work through the exercises presented in each course. I’ve reviewed the “Learn to Play the Flute: Beginner Basics to Intermediate” course, which is the first in their excellent series…

This course is Udemy’s most popular flute course having over 750 students enrolled (at last count) and increasing steadily. When you first log in, you’ll see a course overview as well as any recent activity and instructor announcements. A handy bar graph shows you how far along in the lesson series you have progressed to help streamline your progress. Clicking on ‘Course Content’ will list the lessons which are organised into nine sections – a whopping 108 lectures! Lessons progress from the basics of flute playing (such as breathing, holding position, making a sound) to learning notes, basic music theory, scales and finally playing some simple melodies.

Underneath the lesson videos you’ll find extra files for download (diagrams, flute fingerings and sheet music) to use in your own practise time. A new and handy feature now allows you to download the entire course content in one pdf book (just go to the first lecture). I recommend printing this to make your own notes during lessons. (Here’s a sneak peak below)

For any lesson, you can submit a question via the Q&A button at the bottom of the screen during the video. All questions asked for the entire course appear under the Q&A tab on the home page together with the MusicProfessor’s responses which are courteous and prompt.

Strengths

  • The instructor is engaging and creates a real excitement and passion for playing.
  • The lesson objectives and presentation are clear and of high video quality.
  • There is no expiry on your access to these lessons. The lifetime access is a real winner!
  • The entire curriculum is listed before purchasing a course, allowing you to make an informed decision about whether the course suits your skill level
  • The course online platform presentation is basic, however its clean and easy to use
  • Feedback to student questions submitted via the Q&A tab is usually provided within 24 hours
  • Once the course is completed an Intermediate MusicProfessor course provides a seamless transition to further learning

Weaknesses

  • Whilst students can contact instructors with questions and feedback, there is no dedicated forum to facilitate encouragement and communication between students.
  • Being a course where students largely work independently being highly motivated and making yourself accountable to work through the course is essential to success.
  • A (separate) query sent to the support team at Udemy (not MusicProfessor) took over a week to obtain a response. Although this didn’t affect my ability to use or enjoy the course.

 The Wrap Up

Overall, this course is very well suited to adult beginners, and particularly those with absolutely no flute playing experience. The layout of the website is clean and very intuitive – it can be navigated by those even with basic computer skills. The instructor is upbeat which really compels you to want to watch the next video. Depending on whether you have some prior knowledge of music (such as recognising notes and understanding counting and rhythm), some may find the course a little sluggish to start with. However for those with absolutely no musical background, the pace of the lessons will suit perfectly as they are very comprehensive.